![Image]( "Unions accused over taxpayers' cash")
A row has blown up between the TaxPayers' Alliance and some of the country's biggest trade unions after a report claimed unions were preparing to fight spending cuts and threaten strikes with "significant" funding at taxpayers' expense.
The group said its research revealed for the first time the "huge" amounts unions have received in direct grants and paid staff time from public sector organisations, departments, quangos, councils, NHS Trusts and fire authorities in the last two financial years.
The report said that unions received £85.8 million from public sector organisations in 2009-10, including £18.3 million in direct payments from public sector organisations and an estimated £67.5 million in paid staff time. The total is up 14% from 2008-09, when trade unions received £76.1 million from public sector organisations, said the report.
Direct payments included £13 million in 2008-09 and £14.9 million in 2009-10 paid by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills through the Union Learning Fund and the Union Modernisation Fund, according to the Alliance.
Matthew Sinclair, director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Trade unions are lining up to fight vital cuts in public spending and threatening strikes that could cause massive disruption for ordinary families. By financing their other work, like representing and recruiting members, taxpayers' money frees up union funds for political contributions and expensive campaigns.
"If big, rich, public sector unions are going to take an active political role, there is no way they should be getting taxpayers' money."
Jennifer Dunn, policy analyst at the TaxPayers' Alliance, added: "Taxpayers expect their money to be spent providing services, not propping up unions fighting for their own interests. Public sector employees should be working for the public and not representing trade unions, whose agenda threatens to jeopardise public services. The unions should not be given special treatment and should pay for their own representatives and programmes."
Brian Strutton, national officer of the GMB union said the report was "right wing axe grinding", adding: "It is an attack on workplace reps who provide a valuable service for workers and employers in workplaces across the land.
"Trade unions do not get taxpayer funding. Workplace reps are allowed paid time off by law for duties that benefit employers as well as workers in negotiations and consultations, in dealing with complaints and representing workers in disciplinary matters. Reports have shown that union reps save employers money by improving the workplace and encouraging workers to improve skills."
Dave Prentis, leader of Unison, said: "The TaxPayers' Alliance is digging up another tired old chestnut. Taxpayers expect their money to be spent providing services, not answering spurious questions from the Alliance to prop up their own political interests. Attacking trade unions who work with employers to create an efficient, more motivated workplace is just plain daft. The reality is they are Conservative funded and are costing taxpayers millions of pounds, and tying up valuable management time, for their own ends."
Pictures painted by the Duke of Edinburgh, including portraits of the Queen in intimate surroundings, are being published in a book.
At first glance, one picture appears little more than an elegant breakfast scene but a close inspection reveals the woman sitting at a beautifully-laid table is none other than the Queen.
The Duke of Edinburgh's work, entitled The Queen at Breakfast, was painted in 1965 and is part of his own private collection.
The oil painting is one of a number of images in The Royal Portrait: Image and Impact - a book being published on Monday.
It shows the Queen sitting leafing through a morning paper at the breakfast table in her private dining room at Windsor Castle.
White china is laid out on a stiff white table cloth in front of her, on which sits a loaf of bread and what appears to be a wireless radio.
On the walls behind her are two paintings - understood to be works by the artist George Stubbs.
The Duke, 89, who has spent years developing his art collection, is less well-known as an artist himself but is still said to enjoy painting.
Two people have died following a crash between two light aircraft on the Isle of Wight.
The victims were from the same aircraft which collided with another plane at Havenstreet at around 5pm on Saturday, Hampshire Police said.
The second plane, also containing two people, was damaged but made its way safely to Bembridge airport.
Police said the aircraft containing the two who died came down in a remote wooded area.
They said in a statement: "Police are at the scene of a fatal light aircraft collision at Havenstreet on the Isle of Wight. Police received the call from a member of the public this evening at 5.08pm to report two light aircraft in collision over the island.
"One of these aircraft, containing two people, suffered damage and made its way safely to Bembridge airport. The other aircraft, also containing two people, came down in a remote wooded area in the Havenstreet area. Both occupants of this second aircraft have now been confirmed dead."
Police were making the area safe on Saturday night and working to formally identify the two victims, a force spokeswoman said.
Inspector Paul Saville said: "We are continuing our investigation into this collision and are keen to hear from anyone who saw this happen and can help with the investigation. I would also ask that anyone who has recovered parts of the aircraft, which may be spread over a wide area, take them to Newport police station."
The crash happened as 19 planes were taking part in this weekend's Schneider Trophy races at Bembridge Airport, it emerged later. The Schneider Trophy includes light and vintage aircraft and has been held on the island for a number of years.
Tim Wassell, chairman of the Royal Aero Club Racing and Rally Association, organisers of the Schneider Trophy, said the crash happened at Saturday's race, the Merlin Trophy, a precursor to Sunday's main Schneider Trophy, which has now been cancelled. He said: "There was a mid-air collision just before the finish of the race. Two planes were in collision and both had two men on board. One was a four-seater touring aircraft which, it would appear from witness reports, appears to have broken up mid-air and come down in woodland at Rowlands Woods. The second plane, a sports aircraft, was badly damaged by the collision but limped back to Bembridge Airport. The two occupants from there are safe."
Labour has called for an urgent Government statement to MPs on the allegations surrounding phone-hacking at the News of the World at a time when Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson was its editor.
Leadership candidates Ed Balls and Ed Miliband said the allegations threw the judgment of Prime Minister David Cameron into question.
Mr Balls urged the PM to order Home Secretary Theresa May to make a statement to MPs when the House of Commons returns from its summer break on Monday.
But Government minister Alan Duncan came to the defence of Mr Coulson, who he said had been "utterly exonerated" by a series of investigations into the phone-hacking affair. Mr Duncan accused Labour of seizing on a story in the New York Times to stir up political trouble for the Government.
A News of the World journalist and a private investigator were jailed in 2007 for hacking into voicemail messages. But Mr Coulson has always strenuously denied being aware of their activities and the News International publication insists it was an isolated case.
But the NYT this week quoted former reporters at the paper claiming that the practice was more widespread, and that the then editor knew about it. The report also raised questions about the thoroughness of the Metropolitan Police's investigation of later claims that a list of prominent individuals were targeted for eavesdropping.
The Met on Friday night defended its handling of the allegations, after former home secretary Alan Johnson suggested that an independent investigation by the Chief Inspector of Constabulary might be needed.
An investigation last year, whose conclusions were endorsed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, found "no new evidence", said a Scotland Yard spokesman.
Mr Duncan dismissed the NYT story, which he suggested was motivated by the paper's rivalry with the News Corporation-owned Wall Street Journal.
In a series of media appearances, Mr Duncan said that Labour was resorting to "specious games and gimmicks" to try to embarrass the Government.
A badly-burnt body has been found in undergrowth at a seaside golf club, police said.
Members of the public discovered the corpse at the Dyke Golf Club in Devil's Dyke Road, Brighton, East Sussex, just before noon on Saturday.
Police said the body was so badly burnt it has so far not been possible to establish gender or estimate an age for the person.
Sussex Police's major crime branch has launched an investigation and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
Detective Chief Inspector Trevor Bowles, the senior investigating officer, said: "The body was found between the 17th and 18th holes and has been badly burnt, so it has not yet been possible to establish gender or estimate age.
"Detectives and scenes of crime officers are currently at the scene. We are searching the nearby area for evidence and have spoken to the members of the public who found the body and people working at the course.
"We are at a very early stage of the investigation and I would ask anyone who may be able to help us piece together a picture of what has happened to get in touch."
Anyone with information is asked to call Sussex Police on 0845 6070 999 quoting Operation Trewin or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It was later disclosed by police that the body had also been mutilated. Mr Bowles said "at least one foot" was missing below the shin.
Mr Bowles said: "The body has been badly burnt and at this stage we are unable to confirm the gender or estimate the age. However, it is clear that at least one foot is missing below the shin. We will try to determine at post-mortem whether this was before or after death occurred, but the body will remain in situ for the immediate future while our investigations at the scene continue."
The ruptured well which pumped almost five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico has been secured and no longer constitutes a threat, it has been confirmed.
A new valve known as a blow-out preventer was placed over the well on Friday after crews replaced a damaged device.
This will now be examined by investigators looking into the causes of the disaster.
Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen said: "Under the direction of the federal science team and US government engineers, BP used the Development Driller II to successfully install a fully functioning and tested Blow Out Preventer (BOP) on the cemented Macondo 252 well."
He said there was no observable release of hydrocarbons during the operation.
"This is an important milestone as we move toward completing the relief well and permanently killing the Macondo 252 well. I will continue to provide updates as necessary," he added.
The ruptured well has been shut since July 15 after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded killing 11 workers and causing the worst environmental disaster ever to hit the region.
Since the accident on April 20, BP has come under prolonged attack in the US for perceived safety failings and its attitude towards the investigation.
Besides causing catastrophic pollution, the oil spill also led to the departure of BP chief executive Tony Hayward.
The oil giant has estimated the cost of tackling the disaster to eight billion US dollars (£5.2 billion) so far.
On the eve of Parliament's return after the summer recess, David Cameron and Nick Clegg insisted the coalition Government they have created is "built to last" for a full five years.
After the "factionalism and backbiting" of the last Labour administration, exposed in memoirs by Tony Blair and Lord Mandelson, the coalition is delivering "modern, responsible politics", the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister claimed in a joint article for the Sunday Telegraph.
And they accused Labour of "opposition for opposition's sake", citing the party's plan to vote against a bill to introduce the Alternative Vote for Westminster elections on Monday, despite the reform having been in its manifesto.
The strength of the coalition has begun to be tested in recent weeks by rumbles of discontent from Liberal Democrat ranks over public spending cuts and backbench Conservative opposition to a referendum on AV.
But Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg insisted that the unprecedented Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition will be able to deliver "stable and strong Government".
They said: "We have no doubt that our Government, like any Government, will face exceptional pressures. But we are turning a page on the poisonous culture of infighting which drained the previous Government of purpose.
"We remain united in the view that two parties, coming together in a sincere attempt to provide stable and strong Government at a time when the country is facing huge challenges, can be more than the sum of their parts."
Far from being a recipe for a "fragile" administration and "soggy compromise", as some predicted, the blend of Tory and Lib Dem policies had "produced more, not less radicalism", they said.
They defended plans for a swift reduction in the deficit, which will see the bulk of Whitehall departments ordered to deliver cuts averaging 33% over four years in next month's spending review.
"The times ahead will be incredibly difficult for our country, but the prize is this: interest rates lower for longer, confidence restored in our economy, and a recovery locked in," said Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg.
Pakistan Test opener Yasir Hameed claimed his team-mates were involved in fixing "almost every match", it was reported as fresh allegations threatened to further rock the cricket world.
The News of the World also said the International Cricket Council (ICC) was investigating a fourth Pakistan player, who has not yet been named, over match-rigging claims.
The newspaper published details of the spot-fixing claims last weekend - with test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir now the subject of police and ICC investigations.
They have now followed up with an interview with Hameed, who played in the fourth Test at The Oval.
He does not name any team mates but is quoted in the newspaper as saying: "They've been caught. Only the ones that get caught are branded crooks. They were doing it (fixing) in almost every match. God knows what they were up to. Scotland Yard was after them for ages. It makes me angry because I'm playing my best and they are trying to lose."
Sunday's edition also carries reports that investigators recovered between £10,000 and £15,000 of marked bank notes in Butt's hotel room.
The new allegations follow an apology on behalf of the three players from Pakistan Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi on Saturday. Afridi also confirmed that the businessman at the heart of the allegations, Mazhar Majeed, and his brother Azhar, were managing the trio involved.
Speaking in Cardiff, Afridi said: "On behalf of these boys - I know they're not in this series - I want to say sorry to all cricket lovers and all the cricketing nations."
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has charged the trio of players under their anti-corruption code and provisionally banned them from playing in any match.
The three men were released without charge on Friday after being questioned under caution by detectives at Kilburn police station in north-west London. Mr Majeed has also been arrested and released without charge.
Forensic experts are trying to identify a badly-burnt and mutilated body found on a seaside golf course.
Members of the public discovered the body - which was missing a foot - in undergrowth between the 17th and 18th holes at the Dyke Golf Club in Brighton, East Sussex, just before noon on Saturday.
Police said it was so badly burnt it has not yet been possible to establish the sex or age of the person.
Sussex Police's major crime branch appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
Detective Chief Inspector Trevor Bowles, the senior investigating officer, said "at least one foot" was missing below the shin.
Mr Bowles said: "The body has been badly burnt and at this stage we are unable to confirm the gender or estimate the age.
"However, it is clear that at least one foot is missing below the shin. We will try to determine at post-mortem whether this was before or after death occurred, but the body will remain in situ for the immediate future while our investigations at the scene continue."
Mark Stuart-William, 36, head professional at the club, said the last three holes on the course were closed off while police conducted inquiries.
He said: "I have been a golf professional for around 16 years and I've not heard anything like this happening before. Most golf is played in the morning and by the time the body was found, most people had already been round the course."
Anyone with information is asked to call Sussex Police on 0845 6070 999 quoting Operation Trewin or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Five soldiers have been killed and about 40 wounded in a suicide car-bomb attack on a Russian base, officials in Russia's violence-plagued republic of Dagestan said.
A spokesman for the republic's Interior Ministry, Vyacheslav Gasanov, said the attack took place in the early hours at the base in the city of Buinaksk.
Mr Gasanov said the driver of the explosives-laden small Zhiguli automobile smashed through a gate of the base and headed for an area where soldiers are quartered in tents.
But soldiers opened fire on him before he reached the centre of the base. Mr Gasanov said the driver rammed the car into a military truck where it exploded.
Dagestan is gripped by near-daily violence between police and soldiers and insurgents believed to be inspired by separatists in neighbouring Chechnya.
Up to 5,000 troops could be discharged from the armed forces because they are medically unfit for combat duties, including many injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was reported.
The Sunday Times quoted a leaked Ministry of Defence document as saying that 5% of the Army's 102,000 personnel were no longer fit to be deployed in action.
The newspaper suggested that the worst affected 1,500 troops were in line to be discharged first, with 750 following in each of the next few years. While "only a proportion of those discharged are likely to have been injured on operations... this number is likely to grow as operations in Afghanistan continue", the document said.
The MoD refused to comment on the leaked document, but a spokesman played down suggestions that a mass cull of injured troops was in the offing and insisted there was no quota for numbers to leave the Army.
"The number of soldiers medically discharged is done on a case by case basis and it is inappropriate to speculate on future numbers," said the spokesman.
Earlier this year, the MoD unveiled a £70 million project to help injured troops to either remain in the forces or make a transition to civilian life.
The Army Recovery Capability scheme envisaged 12 "personnel recovery units" around the UK providing programmes aimed at either getting them fit to return to a military post or preparing them for life outside the Armed Forces.
Launching the programme in February, General Sir David Richards, the head of the Army, said: "I confidently expect that no soldier who thinks it is in his interest to stay will be forced out."
But the new document, drawn up by a civil servant at UK Land Forces HQ in Wiltshire and circulated to ministers, senior MoD officials and Army top brass, suggested that the discharge of injured troops was likely to prove controversial.
Entitled Management of Army Personnel who are Medically Unfit for Service, it conceded that discharges of injured troops may be seen as the "MoD discarding those who have sacrificed much on our behalf", said the Sunday Times. And it added: "Difficult decisions will inevitably need to be made about individuals who already have a significant media profile. These will require careful handling."
Millions of people struggle to reach a GP because they are met with an engaged tone when they call their local surgery, it was claimed.
Every month more than six million patients who phone a doctor between 8am and 10am are unable to get through, research suggested.
And it found 93% of calls to surgeries which use normal landlines go unanswered because the number is busy.
Meanwhile, those which used a system to treat calls increased the number of patients getting through first time to more than 98%. These callers found it more than twice as easy to get hold of a doctor and three times as easy to get test results on the phone.
Network Europe Group (NEG), a telephone service provider which conducted the study, is now calling on the Government to adopt a standardised system so people are able to make appointments or pick up test results when they need to.
Dean Rayment, managing director of NEG, said: "We were genuinely shocked by the findings of our research. We think the Government will be equally shocked."
But he said doctors should remain free to decide on the system that works best for their patients.
Questions have been raised over the use of automated systems which previously saw customers charged over the odds to contact their local health service. But recent legislation means patients only pay for the cost of a local call.
The Department of Health stressed GPs should have the freedom to provide services as they see fit.
A spokesman said: "The NHS White Paper published earlier this summer set out plans to give everyone the right to choose the GP that best meets their needs and we are removing ineffective top-down political targets that get in the way of GPs responding to people's needs. Instead of the Government telling GPs what patients want, we want patients to tell their GP themselves what they want and then give GPs the freedom to provide services and be accountable for the results they achieve. We also intend to roll out one single number 111 for all urgent care needs by 2013."
A Pakistan cricketer has accused his team-mates of fixing "almost every match" and a fourth player is under investigation over allegations of match-rigging claims, it was reported.
The fresh allegations in the News of the World threaten to further rock the cricket world after the suspension of trio Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer who are now now the subject of police and International Cricket Council (ICC) investigations.
The newspaper reported test batsman Yasir Hameed, who played in the fourth Test at The Oval, as saying: "They've been caught. Only the ones that get caught are branded crooks.
"They were doing it (fixing) in almost every match. God knows what they were up to. Scotland Yard was after them for ages. It makes me angry because I'm playing my best and they are trying to lose."
Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed later told reporters at the team hotel in Cardiff that Hameed had denied making such statements, although there is believed to be video footage of the interview.
Asked about the explosive claims, Saeed said: "I have just spoken to Yasir and he did deny it. I said, 'If you have not said these things why are they saying this?'
"Again he said, 'I have not said it'. That's all, let's wait and see what happens."
There were also suggestions Hameed was offered, and turned down, £100,000 to fix matches.
The edition will also carry reports that investigators recovered between £10,000 and £15,000 of marked banknotes in Butt's hotel room. The ICC were unable to confirm or deny any of the details in the latest report, which says there are a total of 23 charges hanging over the three men.
A spokesman for world cricket's governing body said: "We cannot discuss ongoing investigations." A Metropolitan Police spokesman would not say whether they had questioned a fourth player.
A row has blown up between the TaxPayers' Alliance and some of the country's biggest trade unions after a report claimed unions were preparing to fight spending cuts and threaten strikes with "significant" funding at taxpayers' expense.
The group said its research revealed for the first time the "huge" amounts unions have received in direct grants and paid staff time from public sector organisations, departments, quangos, councils, NHS Trusts and fire authorities in the last two financial years.
The report said that unions received £85.8 million from public sector organisations in 2009-10, including £18.3 million in direct payments from public sector organisations and an estimated £67.5 million in paid staff time. The total is up 14% from 2008-09, when trade unions received £76.1 million from public sector organisations, said the report.
Direct payments included £13 million in 2008-09 and £14.9 million in 2009-10 paid by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills through the Union Learning Fund and the Union Modernisation Fund, according to the Alliance.
Matthew Sinclair, director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Trade unions are lining up to fight vital cuts in public spending and threatening strikes that could cause massive disruption for ordinary families. By financing their other work, like representing and recruiting members, taxpayers' money frees up union funds for political contributions and expensive campaigns.
"If big, rich, public sector unions are going to take an active political role, there is no way they should be getting taxpayers' money."
Jennifer Dunn, policy analyst at the TaxPayers' Alliance, added: "Taxpayers expect their money to be spent providing services, not propping up unions fighting for their own interests. Public sector employees should be working for the public and not representing trade unions, whose agenda threatens to jeopardise public services. The unions should not be given special treatment and should pay for their own representatives and programmes."
Brian Strutton, national officer of the GMB union said the report was "right wing axe grinding", adding: "It is an attack on workplace reps who provide a valuable service for workers and employers in workplaces across the land.
"Trade unions do not get taxpayer funding. Workplace reps are allowed paid time off by law for duties that benefit employers as well as workers in negotiations and consultations, in dealing with complaints and representing workers in disciplinary matters. Reports have shown that union reps save employers money by improving the workplace and encouraging workers to improve skills."
Dave Prentis, leader of Unison, said: "The TaxPayers' Alliance is digging up another tired old chestnut. Taxpayers expect their money to be spent providing services, not answering spurious questions from the Alliance to prop up their own political interests. Attacking trade unions who work with employers to create an efficient, more motivated workplace is just plain daft. The reality is they are Conservative funded and are costing taxpayers millions of pounds, and tying up valuable management time, for their own ends."
Travellers could soon be able to obtain a credit card-sized smartcard allowing them to use buses, trains and trams across Britain, transport minister Norman Baker has said.
Mr Baker said he had ordered officials to draw up plans to introduce the cards - based on London's Oyster card scheme - "within a few years", in order to encourage use of public transport.
Ultimately, the goal would be to allow seamless travel on one ticket throughout the country, although Mr Baker accepted that including long-distance rail journeys in the scheme may be complicated.
It is intended that the cards would be topped up in shops, online or by phone, with fares automatically deducted by card-reading technology on buses and trains. The cost of the scheme would be met by private bus and rail operators.
Mr Baker told the Sunday Express: "The aim is that you get one smartcard ticket which enables you to use it whether you are in Bristol on the bus, on the Tube in London or in Newcastle on the Metro."
Enabling people to make all their journeys on the same card would give them "more confidence" to use public transport and would cut the administrative costs connected to selling tickets, making travel cheaper, he said.
"It won't be overnight, but I've asked my officials to bring forward the old target date of 2020 to within a few years," said Mr Baker.
An elderly man found dead at a house received a fatal stab wound to the heart, police have said.
The 75-year-old was found at a residential property in Effingham, Surrey, in the early hours of Saturday.
A 67-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of murder remained in custody, Surrey Police said.
Detectives were not looking for anyone else in connection with the death, a force spokeswoman said.
A police sergeant faces the sack after being caught on CCTV injuring a woman by pushing her into a cell, it has emerged.
Sgt Mark Andrews is shown dragging Pamela Somerville, 59, across the floor of the police station in Wiltshire before shoving her into a cell.
CCTV footage captured her lying on the floor for a minute before struggling to get up with blood pouring from a head wound.
Former soldier Sgt Andrews, 37, was eventually convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm after a trial at Oxford Magistrates' Court earlier this summer. He will be sentenced on Tuesday and is expected to lose his job.
The case was brought after another officer at Melksham station reported his behaviour to a supervisor.
It happened in July 2008, when Ms Somerville was arrested after being found asleep in her car. She was detained for failing to provide a sample for a breath test.
Then aged 57, she was thrown in the cell at Melksham police station after being grabbed in the station lobby by custody sergeant Andrews.
CCTV footage shows Andrews coming back into the cell after she gets to her feet and calls for help before another person comes to check her and paramedics are called.
She was taken to Royal United Hospital in Bath and needed stitches in a gash above her eye.
Ms Somerville told the Mail on Sunday: "I still find it hard to watch the images of me staggering to my feet with blood pouring from a head wound because I can remember how terrified I was."
Just 16 "free schools" will be ready to open their doors at the start of the next academic year in September 2011, Education Secretary Michael Gove has revealed.
Mr Gove rushed through legislation shortly after the election to pave the way for parents, charities and businesses to set up independent schools within the state system, and trumpeted the fact that 700 groups had expressed an interest in the idea.
He insisted that he was "excited by the extent of interest" in the scheme, and said that the approval of 16 free schools to open next year was "well in excess" of his expectations.
But opponents are likely to seize on the figure as a sign of limited enthusiasm for the coalition Government's flagship education reforms.
Mr Gove told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: "I expect that there will probably be 16 schools in the very first wave. We have had over 700 groups that have been in contact with a charity called the New Schools Network that has been operational over the last few months.
"Of those 700, about 100 or so have actually put applications in to the Department for Education and of those, there are 16 that are mustard-keen to open in September 2011.
"I have been excited by the extent of interest and by the enthusiasm shown by these inspirational people. Many of them are teachers currently in the state system who want to transform the education of children, often in the very poorest areas."
Mr Gove rejected suggestions that the number of applications to set up free schools and the number of approvals for the 2011 school year was lower than he had been anticipating.
"It is actually well in excess of my hopes," he said. "Before the General Election, people said `You will never get a bill through to facilitate this in the first few weeks of the new Government'. People also said the idea of new schools opening in September 2011 couldn't happen.
"They said it takes three to five years for schools to open, but actually we are making the difference."
Wayne Rooney is still scheduled to travel to Switzerland for England's Euro 2012 qualifier despite allegations about his private life, Football Association sources said.
The striker has been the subject of reports in the News of the World and Sunday Mirror leading to speculation about whether he will take part in Tuesday's match.
However, FA sources have indicated to the Press Association that no decision has yet been taken and as it stands, Rooney is expected on the flight.
The Manchester United star is an integral part of England coach Fabio Capello's team, even though it is now 11 matches since he last scored for his country.
He claimed three assists and had a hand in the other goal as England opened their qualification campaign on Friday with an impressive 4-0 win over Bulgaria at Wembley.
England take on fellow World Cup contenders Switzerland in Basle on Tuesday.
Pope Benedict XVI could meet with people who were abused by Roman Catholic priests when he visits Britain later this month, it has been suggested.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, pointed out that the Pope had met victims of clerical sex abuse during recent visits to other countries.
But he stressed this was always done confidentially and in private and that was the "right and proper" way to approach such a sensitive issue.
It has been reported that Vatican officials are concerned the Pope's visit to England and Scotland could be overshadowed by demonstrations.
Cardinal Nichols appeared to play down such suggestions, saying he would not put the "real tragedy" of child abuse "in the category of something that will overshadow everything else about this visit".
And responding to a poll that more than three quarters of Britons think the taxpayer should not contribute to the cost of the four-day visit, the cardinal said it would be a "very sad day" when a country said it could not afford it.
He added: "It would be a real gesture of isolationism. We should remember that the Pope comes as the spiritual leader of one in five of all people on this planet so this is not a minor figure as it were."
He also stressed the "important agenda" of the visit in developing relationships between the Government and the worldwide Catholic Church.
Asked on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show if the Pope would meet with abuse victims during his state visit the cardinal said: "The pattern of his last five or six visits has been that he has met victims of abuse.
"But the rules are very clear, that is done without any pre-announcement, it is done in private and it is done confidentially, which is quite right and proper so I think we have to wait and see."
Allegations over phone-hacking at the News of the World are being "recycled" by Labour in the hope of embarrassing David Cameron and his communications chief Andy Coulson, a Cabinet minister has said.
Education Secretary Michael Gove said that the claims that Mr Coulson knew of illegal interception of voicemail messages by journalists on the newspaper during his time as editor had been investigated by police, who found there was "no case to answer".
Mr Coulson has always strenuously denied knowing about the phone-hacking which led to a News of the World reporter and a private investigator being jailed in 2007. But the issue was revived last week by a New York Times report quoting former staff on the Sunday newspaper claiming the editor was aware of the practice and encouraged it.
A report in the Observer claimed that the name of former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott was found on invoices to private investigator Glenn Mulcaire seized during the police inquiries. And the Independent on Sunday alleged that former Business Secretary Lord Mandelson may also have been targeted.
Mr Gove suggested that the row had blown up because of media rivalry between the NYT and the Wall Street Journal, which like the News of the World is part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation stable.
The Education Secretary told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: "I have had a look at some of the press reports and there seems to be a recycling of allegations we have had before.
"Some people are making allegations, but it is striking that many of the people making allegations are Labour politicians, so there is an element of the party political about it.
"The police have looked at these allegations and decided there is no case to answer.
"I think there is something happening in America to do with circulation wars and all the rest of it which is influencing this. Apparently so - who's to say?"
Mr Gove said that a House of Commons Select Committee had found no evidence that Mr Coulson was involved in phone-hacking at the News of the World and said it was often overlooked that he nonetheless decided he should "carry the can" and resign as editor.
